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By Philip Zakahi
At the moment I live in a house with a rather large group of guys, all of whom attend, or have recently attended, American University. Coming from the nation’s most politically active college, we like to entertain ourselves by endlessly debating (arguing about) politics.
It just so happens, when a group of people argue endlessly, from time to time someone will, in fact, make an assertion, suggest a hypothesis or use a piece of evidence that is, well… ridiculous — a point that is neither germane nor valid, and often serves only to distract from an already lost argument. If, in the course of conversation, this happens, it is encouraged, thanks to the urging of my friend Tom, for the others in the discussion to say the word “shenanigans” as a more courteous alternative to our previous custom of mocking and ridiculing the transgressor.
For the most part, I hope to use this column as a way of saying “shenanigans” on a national scale. The title, “Bread and Circuses,” is meant to describe those policies, proposals and plans that, from my perspective, are meant merely to delight or scare voters into casting their ballots for one candidate or another. It’s only recently that I’ve gained the rights of a full citizen (very recently if you include the ability to purchase alcohol), and I’ve come to realize that my country is in a rather troubling state — due, in no small part, to our tendency to be dazzled by bread and circuses.
In keeping with the original use of the phrase, I want to make it clear that the problem is not the bread and circuses and the problem is not “the politicians in Washington.” Neither can help it, and there are few things more ridiculous than the people of democratic state complaining about being given what they want.
The real problem
No, the problem is you and me. The problem is that we allow ourselves to be distracted by gimmicks and non-issues. The problem is that this country is slowly (perhaps rather quickly now) sinking into a hole, and yet we constantly divert ourselves from the real debates on the big issues of this nation’s future. We are mesmerized with bare-arms, teabags, barackatology, water dogs and weekend trips to New York.
What am I getting at? I tend to believe that it’s harder to be dazzled, harder to be awestruck, by the constant onslaught of bread and circuses if we realize that it is just meant to distract. Thus, my goal for this column, and hopefully your goal in everyday life, will be to say “shenanigans.”
If you do nothing more than mumble the word under your breath the next time you see a story about President Obama’s dog on CNN or hear Rush Limbaugh complaining about a weekend trip to New York, then you will find yourself better prepared for and more interested in a discussion about how the heck we are going to get this country through the next 50 years.
Our country is in desperate need of an extreme economic makeover, and the rest of the world is on the verge of voting us off the planet. We don’t have time for circuses anymore, and if we’re not careful there won’t be anymore bread. But we can, and we must and we will overcome these trying times — I expect no less, and, despite my cynicism, I believe it will happen.
Zakahi is a Student at The American University in Washington, D.C. and a 2006 Las Cruces High School Graduate. He has been addicted to politics for the past five years (1/4 of his life). You can reach Zakahi at philip.zakahi@american.edu.